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Leah
"I will finish it, Uncle; I will carry on for you." —Leah Leah was the adopted daughter of Deckard Cain and the biological daughter of Adria and Aidan. Biography Conception From the outset, Leah was conceived as a host for Diablo.Diablo III, Act III While the three Prime Evils had masterminded their exile to Sanctuary,The Harrowing Diablo had taken the plan a step further. He would become the Prime Evil, combining the essences of the Great Evils into a single form. And to do that, he would need a vessel to inhabit.Diablo III: Behind the Scenes DVD'' To this end, when Prince Aidan struck down Diablo in the Tristram Cathedral and bound himself to the soulstone in the hope of containing Diablo's essence, the demon had been given the means to fulfill his plan. Not long after Aidan's 'victory,' he met the witch Adria, who realized that Diablo was influencing the prince. By Diablo's will, Leah was conceived and born a year later in 1264.The Order While Aidan became corrupted by Diablo and so became the Dark Wanderer, Tristram fell to the forces of Hell. Adria escaped with Gillian and the two made their way to Caldeum. Adria set up wards around Gillian's residence and departed, leaving the barmaid to care for the infant. Growing Up Listen, I don't like you either. Understand? Nobody does. You're a sewer rat. We should toss you in the fountain, wash off the stink from those filthy tunnels you crawl around in, but then we'd sell no tickets to the show. Pig-Eyes bullying Leah Leah had a hard time growing up in Caldeum. Gillian's mind had been adversely affected by her contact with demons, and so was not always in the right state of mind to raise a daughter, let alone function as a member of society. Gillian's stigma made its way down to Leah herself and she was regarded as an unlucky child. "Sewer rat" was a name that bullies gave her, in part due to her time exploring the sewers beneath the city. For all her time in the city, she learned to live with the insults and indeed, her time exploring the city imparted survival skills to her. Throughout her life, Gillian never told her the truth about her father, or that Adria was her biological mother. And all the while, Leah had to contend with the powers she had inherited from her mother, such as prophetic dreams.Book of Cain However, at the age of eight, the insults were starting to become unbearable and dark times were settling over Caldeum. Belial had set his minions in motion, and were on the hunt for her. To make matters worse, Gillian's state of mind was deteriorating even further. It was also at this time however that Deckard Cain arrived, who took her under his wing. Artifact Hunting Over the next thirteen years, Leah and Cain (or "Uncle Deckard" as she called him) would hunt for artifacts and lore that would help them piece together the Prophecy of the End of Days. Other areas of study included that of the Vizjerei and their (supposed) summoning of demons. Cain also tried to teach her how to control her abilities. His Horadric knowledge formed the basis of his teachings, but it never really helped. Still, he never gave up on her. Leah found her travels to be quite exciting,Diablo III, Act I a boring summer in Bramwell notwithstanding. However, while she saw many strange things and loved her adopted uncle, she remained skeptical of Cain's claims of a looming apocalypse. She did not believe in the existence of the Eternal Conflict or that of demons, or at least, not what many people believed them to be.2013-12-08, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III Lore and Story Q&A Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-04-21 Eventually, after thirteen years of travel and with Leah now a young woman, the two came back to what was left of Tristram, with Cain still in pursuit of the prophecy. He spent his days poring over the tomes and manuscripts found in the ruined cathedral, while Leah could only stand by.Diablo III, Act I Intro Cinematic The End of Days The Fallen Star In 1285,Diablo timeline what had begun over twenty years ago began coming to an end. Tyrael, Archangel of Justice fell to Sanctuary, having abandoned his place in the Angiris Council to aid humanity.Diablo III, Act II Intro Cinematic However, his trajectory took him straight into the Tristram Cathedral. Leah escaped the inferno, but Cain was trapped inside the structure. To make matters worse, Belial was aware of Tyrael's descent, and had his minions attack New Tristram. However, history repeated itself and a new band of heroes arrived in the town, having all answered the call of the "fallen star." Leah aided the heroes in their quest, helping them find her mother's cabin, retrieving Tyrael's El'druin and saving Wortham. She also displayed her dark powers, killing cultists that were attacking her uncle and Tyrael, though his identity was unknown at the time. Ultimately, New Tristram was saved, but it was a bitter victory—Cain had been wounded during the conflict, and succumbed to his wounds. Under the light of star and moon, Leah and the stranger prepared to cremate Cain's body. A bitter Leah lashed out at the stranger, only for him to reveal himself as Tyrael. Taking up Cain's writings, Leah vowed to finish her guardian's work before cremating his body. Devils in the Desert The heroes traveled east to Caldeum. While the heroes departed to kill Maghda, Leah roamed the sewers of the city in the hope of finding her mother. She was captured, but the heroes rescued her. Now reunited, they went and freed Adria, who relentlessly made Leah practice her powers. Through this, she was able to resurrect Zoltun Kulle and bring down the city gates. Confronting Belial, Leah used her powers to trap his essence in the Black Soulstone.Diablo III, Act II The Lord of Sin You thought you were so clever, that you had outwitted us all. One by one, our brethren fell into your trap. But not me...I defy you. I now know the Black Soulstone is the key, and it shall be mine. Soon, my armies shall pour forth from the Shattered Mountain, ravaging this world and all hope of resistance. My minions will find the stone, wherever you choose to hide it. Then, at long last, Azmodan shall reign as the Prime Evil. Azmodan threatens Diablo through Leah's nightmare''Diablo III, ''Act III Intro Cinematic Returning to her studies, Leah poured through scrolls of lore before succumbing to her weariness. It was a brief moment that led to a vision, where she saw Azmodan, Lord of Sin, and the last of the lord of Hell, boasting of his impending and inevitable victory to the younger brother. Through the vision, he revealed his plans, that the Demonic Legion would emerge from the Arreat Crater and lay siege to Sanctuary. Tyrael pulled Leah back into reality. Shaken, she informed him of what she had seen. Azmodan was coming, and all that stood in his way was the fortress of Bastion's Keep. The Bitter Taste of Victory "My old enemy. You cannot hide from me...no matter what form you choose to wear. Let your true self be revealed...Diablo!" Imperius to Diablo in Leah's form Leah and her comrades arrived at the fortress in time to confront Azmodan's army. She tended to the Black Soulstone with Adria supervising, the relic becoming harder to control. However, it seemed to have paid off, for Azmodan's legions were defeated and the Lord of Sin imprisoned in the stone. However, what should have been a celebrated victory turned into despair. Adria showed her true colors and turned the stone on Leah, revealing that Diablo had conceived her as a vessel for future use. The powers of the seven Evils were transferred into her, her mind shattered as a result. The heroes grieved,Diablo III, Act IV but circumstance dictated action. Diablo had possessed Leah, but had no intention of stopping there. Rather, he departed for the High Heavens, intent on finishing the Great Conflict once and for all.Diablo III, Act IV Intro Cinematic Outside the Diamond Gates, Diablo, still in Leah's body, was confronted by Imperius. The archangel turned Solarion on him, prompting the demon to reveal his true form, or rather, the form that came from the seven Evils being merged into one being. It was partially feminine—when Diablo had possessed Aidan and Albrecht, he had been a hulking brute, their greatest fears made manifest. Leah was no different in this regard. As the Prime Evil emerged from the torrent of Solarion's holy flames, it was slim, with iconic horns and spikes, with what appears to be remnants of breasts and with multiple mouths, hellfire engulfing the Black Soulstone plunged deep into its chest. Ultimately, Diablo was cast down. Unlike Aidan and Albrecht however, whose mortal forms had remained Leah's body was nowhere to be found. Diablo's physical form crumbled into dust as it fell from the Silver Spire,Diablo III Ending Cinematic'' leaving only the smoldering Black Soulstone to be discovered later.Storm of Light In-game Leah appears as a follower of sorts in Diablo III, following the hero during several plot-relevant quests. She is armed with a bow and will engage enemies with it, dealing little damage, but being able to draw away their attention, buying the player time. Since she is marked as a quest NPC, Leah has no Life bar and cannot be killed, although some non-damaging effects will still be able to put her out of combat for a short time. As of the second half of Act II, she is no longer able to fight alongside the player. Personality and Traits Leah was a kind soul and arguably a sensitive one as well. She tended to see the good in people and be hopeful. While versed in Horadric lore, she was something of a skeptic. In terms of ability, Leah was able to competently wield a bow and had inherited powers from Adria. These included prophecy/foresight and a degree of magical ability. However, it wasn't until she was reunited with her mother that she was able to wield these abilities at will. Said abilities were strong enough to give Maghda pause, destroy the gates of Caldeum, and contain the Evils within the Black Soulstone. Trivia *Leah appeared in the announcement trailer for Diablo III. It closely mirrors the final intro to the game itself, but depicts the events as a vision rather than actually happening, not to mention that Leah is on her own in them.2008-06-29, Diablo 3 announcement Trailer (By blizzard). YouTube, accessed on 2012-06-01 After the cinematic, more work was done on her model and her physical features were changed by final release. *Chris Metzen has hinted that Leah's spirit may be "floating around somewhere" after the events of Diablo III. Covetous Shen also tells the player not to underestimate Leah's spirit and implies he had seen something similar before. *Leah was brought into Diablo III due to Cain's age. The designers felt that a new character was needed to take the role he'd filled in the earlier games, not to mention being able to aid the player in a more dynamic sense.Blizzard Comments, accesed on 2012-06-01 Certainly Leah was designed as a character the player was meant to emphathize with. *As of BlizzCon 2013, Blizzard Entertainment has no intention of revisiting Leah's storyline, though she remains on their 'radar.' Brian Kindregan has stated that he feels that for characters who have suffered a sad fate, that state has to exist for a period of time for it to be meaningful.2013-12-08, BlizzCon 2013 – Diablo III Lore and Story Q&A Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2014-03-29 *Leah is voiced by Jennifer Hale. *Leah is intended for inclusion in Heroes of the Storm.2014-04-11, Heroes of the Storm Pax East 2014 Panel, New Characters, Character Creation Q & A Full Conference. YouTube, accessed on 2014-06-24 References de:Leah Category:Characters Category:Diablo III NPCs